Blinded By The Light
by tiduwen
Summary: you should be thinking logically. Hermione is now just a waste of space and I will not stand by to watch my friends fall because of her!” Hermione is blinded in a fight... who will be there to carry her on?
1. Saved by the ferret

Disclaimer: Im only putting one of these in the story so remeber it... I DONT OWN HARRY POTTER! and if you dont know who does then... I have nothing more to say to you.

**CHAPTER ONE**

Hermione tilted her head and stared at the blank stonewall before her.

"What do you reckon?" Harry's voice echoed in her left ear.

"Could be it" Came Ron's doubtful voice from the right.

"Course its it!" Hermione snapped. "Where else could he be hiding? We've destroyed all the Horcruxes, save the snake, and the tracks led to here!"

Ron stepped back and peered curiously at the wall.

"But there's no door or anything! Where do we get in? Forget it, Hermione, this isn't it"

"I think it is" Harry said quietly, raising a shaking, thin hand to touch the cool, smooth surface.

Almost immediately a thin strip of red light, starting at the bottom of the wall, arced up and over their heads, then down again, forming a shining doorway.

"How do we get in?" Ron was obviously having second thoughts about seeking out Voldemort so soon.

"I think I know" Harry spoke, even quieter than before. Without moving his gaze from the doorway, he reached into his pocket for then small silver knife that had once belonged to Dumbledore and drew it quickly across his arm. Blood splattered the wall and a slow humming filled the air.

Hermione whipped out her wand and healed Harry's wound then turned her full attention on the humming, which was steadily increasing in volume.

"Jesus, what is that?" Ron clapped his hands over his ears as the humming reached screaming pitch. Suddenly it stopped.

"It mustn't have worked" Hermione said regretfully.

"Just wait..." Harry took a step back, braced himself, and then ran at the wall.

He disappeared through it in an instant. Hermione and Ron glanced at each other; Ron's look doubtful while Hermione's eyes danced with eagerness, then, together, they slipped through the doorway behind Harry.

The three found themselves in a massive cavern lit with glowing red torches that led the way down a single dark tunnel.

Hermione shivered and wrapped her arms around her thin figure. The temperature had dropped several degrees.

Harry looked at his two best friends, giving them a stern look that told them this was their last chance to go back.

"We're with you Harry"

"All the way"

"Thank you"

Harry took out his wand and headed down the tunnel. For a long time they walked in silence, Harry boldly leading the way, Ron frightfully bringing up the rear. The tunnel, which had been straight so far, turned a corner and into another large cavern, though this one had an ancient wooden throne in the centre of it.

"Wands at the ready" Harry whispered, almost jokingly. They stepped into the cavern.

"I've been waiting for you" Voldemort, wrapped from head to toe in a flowing black cloak, his slit, red eyes glowing from beneath the hood, stepped out of the shadows.

"Go back" Harry, said, his voice suddenly filled with a desperate urgency. "Go… get out!"

Ron's Hand closed over Hermione's wrist and she felt herself being pulled backwards.

"Harry!" she struggled against her captive but failed miserably.

In the middle of the cavern, Voldemort and Harry raised the brother wands in union.

"Prepare to meet your end, Potter" Voldemort snarled, throwing back his cloak, revealing his gaunt, skull-like face.

Harry, despite the look of twisted pain on his face, and the blood trickling from his scar into his eyes, stood his ground.

The two enemies glared at each other, as if both were willing the other to just drop dead.

The room around them began to shake dangerously and bits of the high ceiling began to crack and fall.

Ron gave one last feeble attempt to pull Hermione to safety but now the most of his attention was fixed on the battle before them.

Wands were raised and words were spoken…

"_Arvada Kadavra_…"

Blinding green light filled the room at the same time as the ceiling crumbled completely.

Hermione was thrown to the floor as something struck her face. Her vision swam just long enough for her to see the green light to be replaced with white light, then she lost sight altogether.

Noise continued to fill her ears, though, people, men, shouting, someone tripping over her fallen body, crashing rock, and then someone grabbed her.

"Hermione? Hermione can you hear me?"

"Harry? Harry is that you?"

"Hermione! Look at me!"

"I… I cant"

There was a sudden scuffle and they were separated for a minute or two then some one crashed into her, wrapping their arms around her, and pulling her away from the noise, away from the violence.

"Harry?" Hermione gasped as the person flung her against a wall as an explosion erupted behind them.

"No, not Harry. Hold still"

The voice was indeed male, but it defiantly wasn't Harry. Hermione took a stab in the dark.

"Ron?"

This time the voice didn't say anything.

There was another explosion, a woman screaming, then footsteps coming towards them, colliding with them.

"What are you doing to her, you prick!"

"I was getting her out of the way, dickhead! Can't you see she's bleeding!"

"Harry?" Hermione tried again.

"I'm here, Hermione"

"Where's Ron?"

"I don't know. Just hold still. We'll get you out of here"

"Harry I can't see…"

Something slammed across the back of her head and suddenly she knew nothing.

"I can't believe you hit her over the head!"

"Well she wasn't going to come quietly. I had to knock her out somehow"

"With a fucking rock! Jesus, Malfoy, I know your good now but you can still be an asshole at times…"

Malfoy? Hermione knew she had recognised that voice somewhere. Hermione sat up and opened her eyes. Nothing. There was just darkness. A horrible, soulless darkness that terrified Hermione to her bones.

"Where am I?" she called hysterically.

"Your in the hospital wing, Hermione. Can't you see that?" Harry's hand closed gently over hers and she turned in the direction of his voice.

"No, Harry, I can't see. I can't see anything!"

Harry paused and Hermione could only guess that he was staring at her.

"Madam Pomfrey?" Malfoy called from her other side. Hermione jumped. She hadn't realised he was so close.

"What, what is it? Is she awake?" the snappish voice of Pomfrey could be heard coming towards them from across the room.

"She's blind"

"I know…"

"You know? What do you mean you know!" Hermione asked hysterically, trying to get out of bed. Harry held her down.

"I didn't tell anyone just in case you were fine but last night I noticed that your pupils were dilated and your retinas had shut down."

"So I'm blind for life?"

"There's a slight chance you will get partial sight back but yes, I believe your blind for life"

Hermione sank back into the bed as hot tears pricked her eyes. Well at least she could still cry.

"We'll leave you alone if you want" Harry said gently on her left. Malfoy shifted uncomfortably on her right.

"No" she said suddenly. She wasn't going to let this illness get in the way. Not yet, anyway… "Tell me what happened. Where's Ron?"

"Ron is…" Harry paused, considering his words carefully. Hermione felt as if a bucket of ice had been tipped over her head.

"He's not dead is he?"

"No, no of course not. But…"

"He vanished in that fight in the cave," Malfoy said abruptly. "No-one knows what happened to him"

"And Voldemort?"

"Voldemort got away. But it doesn't matter… we don't have the snake anyway… but guess what, Herm!" a note lifted in Harry's voice, something Hermione hadn't heard for a long time. "Guess who's back?" he fell silent until Hermione finally blurted out; "who?"

"Dumbledore!" both Harry and Malfoy said in union.

"What?" Hermione sat up again, looking from left to right, though never actually seeing.

"That white light in the caves, that was him! He said he faked his death to make me take action… and now he's back!"

"Is he here, in the castle?"

"Yes!"

Hogwarts castle, after having closed down, had become a safe haven and a base for the good guys. Even after Dumbledore had left, it had still been considered the safest place in the magical world so the order of the phoenix had moved its headquarters from Grimmauld place to the castle. Now Harry and a few very select close friends lived in the castle.

Over time they had turned the empty classrooms into living quarters and everyone had their own rooms. Every now and then they would find stragglers, like Malfoy, who were desperate to leave the dark side, and hide them in the castle.

Although it was a safe haven, it was still prone to attacks from the dark side. That's why it had four secret keepers, to make the protection even stronger.

The secret keepers were Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry. Having four keepers meant that, if one of them told, or one of them died, the castle would still remain hidden. Though sometimes death eaters were able to break through the spell and attack, just like Harry and his friends were able to break through the protection spells that Voldemort used.

"Its almost dinner time" Harry said, letting go of Hermione's hand to check his watch. "Do you want to come down?"

"Of course" Hermione struggled out of bed and immediately tripped over Harry's chair.

"Whoops" Harry caught her and set her upright as Pomfrey came out of her office to join them on their walk to the great hall.

Dinner had become a traditional communal meeting for the residents of Hogwarts. They all realised that their time was short-lived so they had made a silent vow to attend a nightly dinner, rain, hail or death eaters.

The four of them made their way slowly downstairs, Harry holding onto Hermione's upper arm and guiding her, Pomfrey and Malfoy walking a little way ahead.

"Harry, you never told me why you bought Malfoy home" she whispered. The question had been picking at her since she had first awoken but she had been too afraid to say anything.

"He saved you ass in that cave, Hermione" Harry said in a scolding voice, as if accusing her.

"I know, I know… I just wondered why you trust him now, when you never have before. And it cant just be that he saved me… there must be more than that..."

"There is" Harry paused as he helped her down a set of stairs. "But I'm going to keep that to myself for a while, ok?"

"Ok"

They entered the great hall and happy but subdued voices filled Hermione's ears. Thirteen chairs were set at the table tonight for Harry, Hermione, Draco, Ginny, Dumbledore, Lupin, Tonks, Kingsley, Neville, Luna, Pomfrey and McGonagall. One chair was left empty where Ron usually sat.

"How are you, Hermione?" Tonks asked, sitting on her left.

"Yeah, Pomfrey just told us what happened… we're really sorry" Ginny sat on her right.

"I'm fine. I'm still alive and walking" Hermione smiled and stared straight ahead into her private darkness. For a few seconds she wondered how she looked from the outside.

"Any news of Ron yet?" Ginny asked quietly when everyone was seated.

"I searched the caves this morning" said the familiar voice of Dumbledore. Hermione felt a sudden rush of warmth spread over her, as if hearing Dumbledore's voice would make everything ok. "But they've vacated the entire area. I am positive, though, that young Ronald is still alive. The Weasley family clock says so, anyway"

There was a mumbled relief from around the table then a clattering of knives and forks.

"Are you going to eat, Hermione?" Neville asked from across the table and a little to the left.

"I cant…" Hermione lifted her hand and touched her empty plate.

"I'll help" Tonks said remorsefully. Hermione could pick up a hint of definite pity in the older woman's voice. "Do you want chicken or lamb?"

"Chicken, please"

Tonks loaded her plate with food and Hermione reached clumsily for her knife and fork.

"Just use your hands, Herm. Everyone else is" Harry said from the end of the table. Hermione felt suddenly aware that everyone was watching her.

Blushing, she picked up a leg of chicken and bit carefully into it.

Dinner continued normally after that. Conversation picked up again but Hermione didn't speak. Not being able to see made her feel isolated and alone. At the end of dinner Tonks was the first to stand up.

"Remus and I have some news" She said delightfully and everyone fell silent. "I just found out this morning that… well… I'm pregnant!"

"Congratulations!" yelled Harry and everyone began to cheer. It was common knowledge that Remus and Tonks had been trying for a baby for some time.

"To Tonks and Remus" Dumbledore said from the other end of the table. "May they have many joy filled years in this dark time of ours"

Hermione realised they were making a toast and she reached for her glass. She suddenly found it handed to her from the person sitting directly opposite her, though she had no idea who it was.

"To Tonks and Remus" she spoke along with the rest of them. "Many happy times…"

Hope you enjoyed... the next chapter will show a few betrayals so watch out for it...

EM


	2. Vegetable

**Chapter two**

It was Harry who led Hermione to her room that night.

"Thanks Harry" she whispered, falling briefly against his chest before turning to enter the dark room. Behind her Harry lit the lamps for her.

"Don't bother" she yawned, feeling the way over to her bed and pulling back the covers. "I can't see anyway"

"Sorry" Harry mumbled, extinguished the lamps, then left her alone.

Hermione waited until the door clicked shut before rolling over and bursting into tears.

She'd never felt so alone in her life. The darkness was consuming her already, suffocating her, tearing her apart inside and yet… and yet she had to stay strong. Everyone else was staying strong. No, she wouldn't let herself be the weakest link in this game because being the weakest link means you'll be the one left behind to die while the others surge on ahead, reaching for the last drop of hope that always seemed to dance out of reach like a glittering red firefly.

Even with this thought stamped determinedly in her mind, Hermione still couldn't rid herself of her tears and she was left to simply cry herself to sleep.

When she opened her eyes the next morning she was startled to find she couldn't see. She almost panicked before remembering why she couldn't see.

The only thing she had to tell her it was morning was the birds singing and fluttering around outside her window. She yawned miserably and got out of bed to dress herself in yesterdays clothes.

With small, shuffling steps and arms outstretched, Hermione made her way out of the room and towards the general direction of the great hall.

She thought she was almost there when she heard female voices coming from within a room. Tonks' room.

"-And you don't think we'll have to nurse her like a child now?" Ginny's voice sounded cold and hard and it chilled Hermione's blood. "You saw her last night at dinner! She couldn't even feed herself!"

"She'll learn, Ginny! Give her time… what else could we do? We can't throw her out, where would she go?"

"Back to her parents place I guess. I don't mean to sound like a bitch, Tonks, but we've got a war to fight and Hermione is in no position to fight it!"

"She still has a wand! She can still do magic!"

"Yeah, but how close will the enemy be able to get before she manages to hit them? Admit it, Tonks… she's as useful as a vegetable!"

These words struck Hermione like a knife in the chest. She couldn't believe it. Ginny, Ginny who was supposed to be her best friend, wanted to get rid of her because she was blind.

"That's Harsh, Ginny" it was Tonks' turn to sound cold and hard. "I don't care what you think, Hermione is a friend and an ally and we will stick by her until the end."

"The end meaning when one of us get killed? Forget it, Tonks, you should be thinking logically. Hermione is now just a waste of space and I will not stand by to watch my friends fall because of her!"

"HERMIONE IS YOUR FRIEND!"

Ginny then stormed out of the room and off in the direction of her own room. She didn't even see Hermione slumped against the wall next to the door.

A few minutes later Tonks came out and spotted Hermione immediately.

"Wotcher, Hermione" she said in a kind, playful voice. Hermione didn't answer. Instead she continued to stare straight into her never-ending darkness.

"Hermione?" Tonks' hand landed gently on Hermione's shoulder, jerking the blind girl out of her dark reverie. "Oh jeez… Hermione, did you hear that?"

Hermione nodded numbly and Tonks pulled her into a firm hug. "I'm so sorry… that conversation should never have happened"

"It's ok. You didn't do anything wrong… I think I might just go for a walk now… I'll see you later" Hermione pulled away from Tonks and, arms stretched out in front, she made her way ever so slowly down through the entrance hall and out onto the grounds.

Knowing very well that there was a high risk of her not being able to find her way back, Hermione set off purposefully towards the lake, only stopping when she felt water brushing her bare feet. She paused only a moment, listening intently to the nature around her, before diving head first into the blistering cold water.

Silence, almost as suffocating as her darkness, consumed her entirely as she swam deeper and deeper into the cold. Moments later she ran out of breathe and she somersaulted before striking out for the surface.

It took almost ten minutes for her to find the bank and she crawled up onto the shore, shivering and cold but refreshed and exhilarated at the same time.

She lay on her back in the grass for a long time, not seeing or moving, but simply listening.

It didn't take her long to realise that, now her important sense of sight was gone, her other senses had kicked in double time. She could hear things she wouldn't usually listen to, feel things she wouldn't normally touch and, when someone approached her from the castle, she found herself expecting them before she heard their footsteps.

"I've been looking for you"

"Have you really… sir?" Hermione didn't really know how to address her former headmaster… did she still call him sir or professor? Or did she go straight to calling him Albus or Dumbledore?

"Yes… I noticed you seemed frustrated when you left this morning"

"Well what can I say… darkness isn't my favourite thing to wake up to in the morning"

"I know. I'll bet all you really want to do now is read a good book"

"Yeah, but I'll never be able to do that again, will I?" Hermione, still shivering in her heavy wet robes, sat up bitterly.

"Would you like to learn Braille?"

Hermione turned towards where she thought the wizard might be standing.

"Could I?"

"Of course you could! Though you would have to teach yourself… I was never much good at reading raised dots… but I do have a kit somewhere in my office… it was always there if ever a blind child joined the school. You can have it if you want"

"Thank you, sir!" she said breathlessly, scrambling to her feet and setting off towards the castle.

"Ah Hermione?" Dumbledore called after her. "The castle is this way"

For the rest of the day, Hermione stayed locked away in her room, teaching herself Braille which, and she was quite proud to say, she was doing quite well at.

She was already a quarter of the way through a book called _'evil wizards and why they do it'_ that Dumbledore had lent her when there was a loud rapping on her door.

"Time for Dinner" Luna said. "Do you want to come with me?"

"No… I'd come down in a minute, it'll be fine" Hermione, determined to show Ginny that she was defiantly not a vegetable. Luna left and Hermione packed up her Braille kit before heading down to the great hall with her evil wizard book tucked under one arm.

Almost everyone was seated when Hermione entered.

"Come sit here, Hermione" Harry called from one end of the table. Hermione obliged and followed his voice, finally finding her seat between him and Draco.

"Any news of Ron yet?" Ginny asked, as she had the night before. Hermione felt a sudden urge of hatred towards the other girl.

"No" this time it was Harry, their ringleader, who answered. "But he is still alive"

Dinner started and this time it was Harry who loaded Hermione's plate with food.

"Thanks, Harry"

"No Problem"

Conversations sparked up but, once again, Hermione remained quiet, as did Draco beside her.

It wasn't long before Hermione found herself thinking about the blonde boy beside her. She wasn't really shocked that Harry had let Draco back into the castle, no one was all that shocked… they all knew, somehow or another, that Draco would return to them, even if everyone else in the wizarding world had lost all hope of bringing him back.

"What are you reading?" Malfoy's voice crept into her mind like a ghost and for a split second Hermione thought she had imagined it.

"Oh… just this book Dumbledore lent me" Hermione held it up to show him the cover.

"Wow… your learning Braille… already"

"Wow…" Harry said mockingly from Hermione's other side. "I can't believe you two are having an actual conversation!"

Hermione felt her cheeks go hot and she snatched the book back before returning her full attention to her meal.

A whole week passed without any news of Ron. And, although Harry and Dumbledore were certain that he was still alive, all hope of finding him was dwindling away.

Hermione, on the other hand, was increasingly becoming one with her darkness. Slowly she was beginning to understand how to rely more on her hearing and knowledge of the castle than on thinking, and wishing, that one day her sight may come back.

It was exactly one week and two days after Hermione's loss of sight that the attack came.

Though the attack had been expected for some time, the group living in the castle were quite surprised to find death eaters shooting out of the fireplace on the second floor.

Lupin was first to sound the alarm and the light met the darkness in a full on duel in the middle of the entrance hall.

Hermione, who had been ordered to stay out of the way, was rushing to call for reinforcements when she met a lingering death eater on the second floor.

"Well, well" said a deep, growling voice as a tall man grabbed her from behind. "If it isn't a little blind girl"

"Get off me!" Hermione screeched, fighting desperately against her captor.

His grip loosened slightly and Hermione was able to dig her heel into the top of his foot. He howled in fury and stumbled backwards into an oversized eight-foot high china vase from ancient Egyptian times.

The vase shattered and Hermione ducked her head as bits of china showered down on her.

A particularly large and jagged piece fell in her hand just as the death eater regained his balance and came rushing towards her.

Knowing exactly what to do, Hermione waited until he was almost on top of her before rolling to one side, letting him stumble past, before raising the shard of china and driving it into his back.

The man screamed and fell. Hermione felt warm blood splatter across her face and she scrambled away, shaking in terror at what she had just done.

The man's screams fell to a sobbing cry and then he fell silent all together and Hermione knew he was dead.

It was almost an hour before the shouts and fights below died down. Then it was another ten minutes before someone came looking for her.

"Hermione? Are you up here?" it was Harry. Thank god.

"I'm here" she called into the darkness that was her own. Harry came running up and pulled her to her feet. "Harry I killed him… I killed him!"

""Shh… its ok, Herm. He was a bad person. Its ok… what's that?" Harry's foot had kicked against something hard and wooden and he bent to pick it up.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, curiosity taking her over.

"It's a wooden box…" Harry paused as he fumbled with the latch. Finally it opened and a putrid smell filled the air.

"Jesus Christ!" Harry dropped the box and he and Hermione made a run for it, only stopping when they reached a bathroom over the other side of the castle.

Even though they were far away, the putrid smell didn't seem to leave the air. It fact it seem to be getting thicker, weighing down on them.

Hermione turned one of the taps on and put her face in the water. Not far away she heard Harry vomit violently.

The foul smell continued to haunt the air in the castle for several hours. When it vanished hit vanished with a loud pop.

When Hermione went to bed that night she realised that she had never valued fresh more than that moment in her life.

what was in that box that could cause the downfall of everyone? read on if you dare... oh and review please too...


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